Below are some of the golden rules I recommend you pay attention to when running a PMO… use this as a checklist to assess how well you’re delivering what’s expected from your program.
1) Governance
• There is a clear scope, linked to Project/Program objectives
• A governance board is in place and each project has an executive sponsor
• The project commenced with an agreed and documented project brief
• Project brief is agreed and is turned into business case
• Business Case is signed off, prior to any planning commencing
• Evidence of authorisation to proceed to planning stage, received from governance body
• All roles have position descriptions – with tasks, linked to responsibilities
• A project manager has been appointed for the full life of the project
• All project/program authorities – Governance body / PMO – are set up and in place
• There is a signed-off resources plan – for people and project / program budget
• High-level risks, assumptions, dependencies and benefits are defined and signed-off
• Governance body regularly monitors progress against plan and authorises project to proceed to next stage – after end of stage review
• Project Status Reports are sent on a regular basis to governance board, who review and provide direction and action where required
• Governance body reviews and approves requests to changes affecting: scope, resources, quality and time-frames
• All issues/risks etc escalated to the program governance body contain recommendations outlining desired course of action and why
• Project Managers are held to account for products being managed and delivered in line with quality acceptance criteria
2) Change Management & Benefits Realisation
• There is a clear outline of high-level, anticipated benefits resulting from the proposed change
• A high-level impact assessment has identified the potential barriers preventing anticipated benefits realisation
• High-level stakeholder and communications plan is built on Impact Assessment results and stakeholders key to realising benefits
• There is an acceptable business case – in that anticipated benefits outweigh predicted costs
• Detailed benefits breakdown maps exist for all benefits, outlining how they will be achieved
• Overall benefits realisation plan is linked to project plan[s], demonstrating when benefits will be realised
• Quick wins are identified, defined and realised within the first 3/4 months
• Realistic and trackable measures are allocated to each benefit
• Change interventions are in place and underway to overcome any barriers to realising benefits
• The Program and Project Benefits Realisation plan is regularly updated, illustrating time remaining until all benefits are realised
• A benefits tracking tool monitors success of Program and Project Benefits Realisation against plan and timelines
• Quick wins have been realised early within the project and is now part of business as usual
• An effective benefits/change progress reporting structure is in place – regularly notifying owners of progress
• Change interventions – outlined in change management plan – have helped remove barriers to realising benefits
3) Reporting
• There are clear reporting templates in place for core areas: risk, status updates, issues and dependencies
• The process for each report is clearly documented and understood
• Each reporting process has clear escalation, approval and sign-off points
• All project/program roles are clear about their responsibilities for participation in reporting processes
• A clear timeframe exists for when reports are due and to whom
• Key project control information- e.g. risk and benefits -is included in core project and program level status reports
• The main project and program plans outline all end of stage assessment dates
• The program Governance Body receives a consolidated monthly highlight report
• All core project control registers are populated and linked to key milestones
• There is a clear reporting schedule, distributed to all stakeholders
• Progress updates made in reports is based on data derived from current progress against plans, not unrelated or historical data
• Reports are succinct, clear and cover all major points
• Reports are consistently delivered on time, to the right people, with accurate information
• Report content and recommendations are acted upon and reported back when completed
• Project Managers update reports to reflect updates and changes to planning documentation
4) Stakeholder Management and Communications
• A clear stakeholder engagement & management strategy guides the project/program
• A high level stakeholder analysis identifies stakeholder needs
• A clear communications strategy exists, closely linked and dependent on the stakeholder process
• The 25% most important stakeholders to the success of the program have been identified
• There is evidence that stakeholders understand their roles & responsibilities
• A detailed stakeholder analysis captures stakeholder needs and requirements in relation to achieving the business case
• The captured stakeholder needs and requirements feed the communications approach, messages and plans
• A mechanism exists and is used to test effectiveness of communications for satisfying stakeholder needs e.g. surveys
• A communications library exists which contains all the core program messages, and is regularly updated
• A detailed communications plan exists outlining when key activities will occur to support program/project delivery
• Stakeholders are regularly engaged, updated on progress and receive feedback on how well their needs are being met
• Communications is always successfully executed and is: timely, content rich and targeted at the right audience
• A two-way feedback process regarding communication effectiveness, from project stakeholders & the Business, exists
• The communications library/core messages is regularly updated and used by the project team
• The communications plan is regularly monitored and updated reflecting changes to stakeholders needs and requirements
5) Document Management and Archiving
• There is a set document and archiving coding/reference schema in place, managing the project’s outputs
• The Document Management process identifies, tracks, protects and archives all deliverables and products
• A specific person or team has responsibility for version control and archiving processes
• A policy and mechanism exists for enforcing the referencing/archiving process
• A well defined change request process exists, integrated into reporting and planning frameworks
• Project managers and staff are trained in how to use document management and archiving processes
• The program has a document management / archiving manual, which is regularly updated
• Project deliverables & products are routinely reviewed for quality control purposes
• There is an electronic database in place which tracks status and version number of all products
• The program reference/coding framework is adhered to meaning project documentation is controlled and identifiable
• All core end of stage documentation is reviewed, signed-off and referenced
• Change requests leading to scope, product quality or acceptance criteria changes is correctly documented
• The interconnectedness and dependencies between products is understood and managed
• Project Teams use a database and version control framework to update project and management products
6) Risk and Standards Management
• There is a systematic and documented Risk Management framework in place
• High-level risks are identified in context of project’s objectives, anticipated benefits and time-frame
• The Business case outlines any time, resources, or availability constraints
• High-level risks are allocated appropriate owners, with supporting contingency or mitigation plans
• Project Managers understand and consistently use the risk framework and categorisation system
• The high-level risk analysis in the business case forms the basis of detailed risk register with documented controls
• Risk Management is bedded into the planning framework and is not a standalone process
• Stakeholders are informed and consulted regarding major risks which are relevant to them
• Controls identified to constraints in Business Case are reviewed and updated throughout the life of the project
• Top 5-10 risks are identified and recorded, demonstrating prioritisation according to probability/impact on achieving project’s objectives
• Governance body regularly monitors and reviews prioritised, top 5-10 risks
• Risk register is active, managed and reviewed on a regular basis, maintaining relevance of risks and corresponding controls
• There are regular reviews of appropriateness of risk owners for level and nature of risk
7) Resource Management
• There are sufficient, high-quality people resources in place, who are not distracted by BAU
• Roles and Responsibilities of all project resources are clearly defined
• A resource management plan is in place to administer resource requirements and availability
• The Business Case defines a realistic budget, with realistic funding sources
• Financial management processes are defined and integrated with project and program costs
• Suitably qualified and experienced project resources are in place, aware of project goals and objectives
• All team members have performance and development plans in place with KPIs linked to project performance
• Additional resource requests (people and financial) are escalated through formal channels
• Project forecasts are built on robust data and modelling techniques
• All financial costs relating to program activity is monitored on a regular basis, including: resource costs, benefits assessment and ROI figures
• There is a strong sense of team with evidence of leadership and a sense of purpose and clarity in delivering the project’s objectives
• Learning and development requirements are identified for all resources and supported during delivery
• There are regular performance reviews for all resources working on the project
• Forecasting is used to understand future budget costs and reporting monitors actual spend against these forecasts
• Benefits realisation updates are regular and outline financial progress made in meeting benefits targets, as per the business case
8) Quality Management
• Quality Management Standards – such as ISO 3000 – are used to define all project products
• The customer’s product and quality expectations are defined before the project starts
• Quality Management processes and tools are in place; all staff are trained in how to use them
• A clear framework exists outlining how quality will be achieved in project delivery
• Project product acceptance criteria is defined in the business case, through product descriptions
• Clear product quality descriptions and quality acceptance criteria are reflected in product quality plans
• The Quality Management Plans outline the objectives and measures for establishing product quality
• Lessons learnt logs of other projects are consulted to inform development of project’s quality and implementation plans
• Project sponsor and key stakeholders have reviewed and signed off on product quality plans
• Quality Management has been employed, consistently following acceptability standards and review and sign-off process
• There is evidence of the interim checking of product quality in the delivery phase, against quality as defined in quality plans
• Change requests are used to manage any planned changes to product definition and quality
• Evidence of stage boundaries acting as a check point to review progress of product quality plans and product descriptions
• There is evidence of learning reviews and quality audits regularly performed throughout the program life-cycle